One rainy summer afternoon before her sixth year, Hermione Granger sat comfortably in her favorite chair reading a book about ancient runes. Settling deeper in her chair she turned a page and continued to read.
Angry voices floated up the stairs causing Hermione to sit up. Carefully marking her page she gently placed the book on the floor and got to her feet. As she crept to the door the voices grew louder and it finally registered who the voices belonged to, her parents. Silently opening the door Hermione leaned against the frame to listen.
"I'm scared…" her mother cried in frustration. "If what Hermione told us is true then we are in danger.
Her father sighed heavily. "Dear, we are perfectly safe here, nothing will happen to us." He argued.
"I don't want Hermione to go back to that school." Mother cried. "Every year the boy-who-lived always drags her into some kind of trouble."
"Hermione is safe there." Father replied. "Mr. Potter didn't pull her into trouble. She explained to me in a letter that she goes to help the boys and I believe she is very capable of staying safe, she's a smart girl dear."
A small smile appeared on Hermione's face as she listened to her father take her side. Emotions were coursing through her like mad at what Mother was saying. She was angry that her mother would speak ill of Harry and that she doubted her own daughter's skills.
Mother screamed in rage and frustration that her husband didn't take her side. "If she goes back then I don't want to live here with her. She is a target for the dark lord and from what I hear he doesn't care if you are involved or not." She hissed.
Hermione gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She backed away from the door shaking her head in disbelief at what she heard as the angry voices of her parents continued on downstairs.
'They don't want me around' she cried in her mind flinging her body on her bed and began to sob.
When she woke later that afternoon she wiped her red rimmed eyes and sat down at her desk. Pulling a piece of paper out of the top drawer, she gathered her thoughts carefully in her mind picking up a pen she began to write.
'Dear Harry,
I'm writing you because I'm afraid. My parents are fighting about me and the fact that I'm a witch and your friend. They believe that danger is here for them and I heard mother say that she didn't want to be around if I was hear. Harry I don't know what to do. I feel so unwanted now by my parents.
Anyways I hope you're doing well. Owl back soon!
Your friend,
Hermione'
Folding the paper carefully she called for her parents owl that they kept to owl her at school. Carefully tying it to the bird's leg she whispered to it to go to Harry Potter.
It flew out the window and she watched it fly away. Lying back on the bed she stared up at the ceiling thinking about why her parents were fighting this way.
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Weeks passes and things only got worse in the Granger household. The fighting went on and Hermione got more and more depressed. Her heart dunk every time she heard them fight and she had no word from Harry.
'He doesn't care' she sadly thought one morning a month after she had sent the owl to him.
That was the first night that she had taken a razor to her wrist. Hermione had also sent a letter to Ron, like Harry there was no reply which hurt her even more.
School was coming closer and it seemed that her mother was more distant with her and her dad didn't seem to want to talk much to her anymore. She continued to cut her wrists. Along with cutting her appetite had drastically changed, rarely had she eaten at all since she overheard the argument…
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Snape ran forward wand in hand.
"Wingardium leviosa."
Hermione's falling body stopped in midair only feet from the ground. Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, Snape levitated the girl back up to the tower and gently placed her on the ground, Hermione was unconscious.
Muttering a charm that would indicate any serious injuries Snape bent down collecting the unconscious girl in his arms. He turned and quickly made his way inside heading to the hospital wing.
Kicking open the door to the hospital wing Snape cried out for Madame Pomfrey. He set the Hermione on a bed and moments later the mediwitch stumbled out of her room rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Severus what is the meaning of this? Do you realize what time it….." Pomfrey scolded but stopped when she caught sight of the student lying unconscious on the bed. "Oh dear, Severus what happened to her?" She asked as she came forward to look for any wounds.
Snape scowled down at the girl on the bed before turning to Pomfrey. "The foolish girl decided to plunge off the Astronomy tower." He replied snidely.
Pomfrey looked up at Snape with wide eyes as she clasped a hand over her mouth. He hadn't said it outright but she knew what he had meant, but she couldn't believe it. After recovering from the shock she bustled forward again and started undressing Hermione.
"Go fetch Albus." She ordered Snape over her shoulder. "He should know of this."
Snape nodded and turned on his heel robes billowing around him as he strode out the door.
Turning back to her patient Pomfrey carefully pulled of the night shirt and for the second time gasped. There on the girls forearms were nasty scares that trailed her pale delicate skin.
The doors opened and in walked Dumbledore and Snape. There was no twinkle in the old wizard's eyes as he approached the bed and looked down at the girl. White bandages covered both of her forearms.
"I never knew Miss Granger wasn't herself and that she was this far gone." Dumbledore sighed collapsing into the chair by the bed.
Snape glanced at the elder wizard only seeing how old he really was by the look on his face as he sat there.
"Severus, I must ask you of a favor." Dumbledore said softly bringing Snape out of his thoughts.
"What do you ask of me Albus?" Snape growled.
Dumbledore stood and faced the potions master. "With recent events concerning Miss Granger she must be watched at all times. Neither I nor Poppy can watch her for we are leaving to spend time with our families."
Snape knowing where this was going glared at the old wizard. "Albus I can not watch her." He snarled.
"Now, now Severus please listen to me." Dumbledore continued placing a calming hand on Snape's shoulder. "You have experience with this and from what the other professors and students have told me of our young friend, she needs your guidance."
Snape seethed openly roughly pulling away from the calming gesture. "There will be a problem with me watching her Albus." He sputtered. "I don't want to be in line for any inappropriate actions brought against me."
All of a sudden the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes came back in full force. He smiled at Snape and stepped toward the bed placing a hand on Hermione's forehead. He muttered something and a faint light surrounded the girl's body before vanishing as quickly as it had come.
"There, now Severus there won't be any problems." He answered Snape's unasked question. "I put a protection charm over her. If you try to touch her in anyway that would be inappropriate you will get a nasty little shock. But you will be able to take her hand, hold her or any other touches that say a father would have for his daughter.
Growling Snape reluctantly agreed to watch over the girl for the rest of the holiday. Dumbledore smiled lightly and turned to go. "This will be good experience for both of you Severus." He said as he closed the door behind him.
Snape sunk into the now vacant chair and settled himself in for the night.
Snape's nightmare
It was his seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was happy that it was his last year. He was tired of the teasing and tormenting he got from the other students even those in his own house.
After once such tormenting Severus had fled to the boy's bathroom and had produced a black handled pocket knife. Holding it up the sun glinted off the blade just as he pressed the silver blade to his pallid skin watching the blood trickle down his wrist. It felt good whenever he watched his own blood spill, but this time it didn't feel right, it wasn't the same.
Gathering his things young Severus ran out of the castle as fast as he could not noticing the headmaster following him. Severus ran to the cliff behind the school and looked down at the rocks below. He wiped furiously at his tear stained cheeks and took a step over the edge not even looking back. His eyes were closed and he felt himself falling, then all of a sudden he stopped. He felt his body being lifted back up to the cliff magically.
"My dear Severus." He heard Dumbledore say as he was set down in front of the headmaster. "Suicide is no way to go my boy. Now come inside with me and let's talk about this." He felt arms encircle him as he was pulled into a hug.
Tears once again fell, leaning into the professor. "I want to die sir." Severus whispered.
"You must not say that." Dumbledore said lifting the boys chin with a finger. "You will be a wizard someday and I know you have your work cut out for you."
Snape woke with a start, cold sweat rolling down his back as he relived his attempt. He looked around and realized that he was in the hospital wing sitting by the young Gryffindor's bed that lay sleeping.
Albus had been right; Snape could help her through this. Though he did not like the Gryffindor, no child should live through the torment alone. If it hadn't been for the headmaster he wouldn't be alive this day.
Leaning back in the chair Snape glanced once more at Hermione determined to help the girl come back from the darkness she had wandered into.
I hope you liked. I'm trying to bring the mystery of why Hermione is this way slowly so that it doesn't come all at once. This won't be another romance story between the two just a father/daughter or mentor/student type of deal. (I was tired of all the romance stories. Didn't seem right.) R&R!